Remember Contraception this Christmas
According to data released by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)
there is a significant rise in the number of unplanned pregnancies in January,
making it extremely important that women, particularly female students, have
access to and use the
contraceptive pill during the festive season.
What is the reason for this increase in unplanned pregnancies? Well, two
obvious reasons are the festive celebrations that usually include an increased
consumption of alcohol and the widespread closure of pharmacies during the
holidays.
While unprotected sex should be avoided at all times and condoms should be
used whenever possible, accidents can happen, so women are advised to start
using contraceptive pills to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies.
There are a wide range of contraceptive pills available using a variety of
different hormones at different strengths, and women should consult their GP for
advice before visiting a pharmacy and obtaining the right contraceptive pill
that suits them best.
Contraceptive pills require diligence on the woman’s part as they must be
taken each day at the same time to be completely effective. During the festive
celebrations this can be difficult, but women must be aware of the consequences
should they not keep to their contraceptive pill schedule and have unprotected
sex over the holidays. Aside from pregnancy, there are also sexually transmitted
diseases to consider, which can easily be caught through not using a condom.
Alongside contraceptive pills, there are also
contraceptive patches which can be used. These work by releasing
hormones through the woman’s skin. Women who experience problems taking a pill
orally should consider this effective form of contraception. Again, women should
consult their GP first before obtaining contraceptive patches from a pharmacy.
Of course, there is the emergency morning-after pill, which must be taken
within 72 hours after having unprotected sex, but this should only be used as an
emergency last resort. Relying on the emergency morning-after pill is very
irresponsible and should not be seen as a safety net allowing a relaxed attitude
to the aforementioned other forms of contraception. It is an extremely powerful
form of hormonal medication and offers no protection to sexually transmitted
diseases.
In short, women should take contraception during the festive season and
throughout the rest of the year very seriously and avoid unprotected sex at all
times. Falling pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease can have
grave consequences for a woman’s health and emotional wellbeing.
Further
information
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